corrugated paper

Demand for corrugated paper and paperboard boxes is projected to climb over 2.1 percent per year to nearly $35 billion in 2009, a rebound from the poor performance of the 1999- 2004 period. Advances will fueled by an expected upswing in shipment volume of nondurables, which account for more than three-quarters of total box demand. Value gains will also be boosted by the continued shift toward highquality printing and graphics on boxes. Changes in the retail environment, including the rise of warehouse club stores, are requiring corrugated boxes as well as folding cartons to improve their appearance and act as billboards for their products. In 2004 the market for corrugated paper packaging, the number one transport packaging material in the world, has grown at the same rate as the European GDP. However the situation differs significantly on a country by country basis across member states. This would suggest a general trend towards light weighting, which helps to reduce the total weight of the packaging in a specific application. Light weighting serves to confirm paper manufacturers' success in reducing paper weights while maintaining the physical properties of paper.